"I thought the same. Anti-Entropy never turns away a Herrscher who wants to join, especially one who's willing to fight for humanity."
Welt was silent for a moment, then rose to his feet with a solemn air and gave Lynelle a formal bow.
"Besides that, I owe you an apology. Your… death last time was largely due to Anti-Entropy's intelligence being compromised by Otto, which led to my misjudgment of the situation."
"While there were extenuating circumstances, the severe consequences of my failure did indeed affect you and Sirin. Therefore, Anti-Entropy is willing to offer compensation. In truth, even without discussing cooperation, we would still do our utmost to support your actions this time."
"Eh? Oh, no, there's no need to be so formal…"
Lynelle was rather startled by Welt's sudden apology. She waved her hands dismissively, a little flustered, trying to indicate she held no grudge over it.
After all, since crossing over, most people and situations Lynelle had encountered were hostile towards her. Someone like 'Old Yang' here was one of the few friendly faces she'd come across.
"Anyway, if we're working together, we'll be allies after this, right? So this sort of thing doesn't really matter…"
"Mm, thank you for forgiving my previous mistake."
Only then did Welt sit back down. "However, the plane should be arriving in Siberia shortly. Time is tight, and we don't have the opportunity to hammer out all the details of our cooperation, keep multiple records, or follow formal procedures. If you're willing to trust my verbal promise as the leader of Anti-Entropy…"
"Don't worry, I trust you on that. But since it's a cooperation, there needs to be terms."
Lynelle lightly tapped the table with her finger. "So, here's the deal…"
"That's simple enough. Feel free to state your needs. Anti-Entropy will do its best to meet your requirements."
Welt had no objection to Lynelle's proposition. If anything, a Herrscher was inherently worth a significant allocation of their resources.
"No need for such a big production… I don't ask for much."
Lynelle cleared her throat. "As the condition for myself, Sirin, and Bella joining Anti-Entropy, first, I need you to follow my command completely during this upcoming operation."
"Hmm…"
Welt thought for a moment. The memory of being completely outmaneuvered by Otto last time surfaced in his mind.
"Agreed," he said decisively. "Considering the intelligence gathered by Anti-Entropy could indeed be misleading, having you—a factor Otto cannot predict—take command is a valid choice."
"However, I must reserve the right to break from your command if Sirin shows any signs of leaning towards world-destruction that prove irreversible. I hope you understand, after all…"
"No need to worry. I know Anti-Entropy's primary mission is to protect the world. And as long as I'm here, Sirin's mental state, at least, won't be a problem."
Lynelle waved a hand. "Additionally, after this battle concludes, I need you to grant me the identity of an Executor, with the corresponding authority and resource allocation powers."
"Just one?"
Welt seemed puzzled. "For you and Sirin, wouldn't you need two?"
"One is enough. I have no interest in the internal power struggles within Anti-Entropy. The only reason I want this position is for a convenient identity later on. Besides, the Executor organizational structure does have its advantages in terms of confidentiality."
"Of course, like I said," Lynelle added seriously, "due to certain… peculiarities of my own, I might frequently go off the grid for unpredictable lengths of time—anywhere from a few days to several years. You can't just revoke this position because I'm unreachable, you know."
"Don't worry. While Anti-Entropy's structure is a bit bloated, it's not so bloated that it can't accommodate one more Executor."
Welt chuckled. "As for the Executor mechanism, it's designed for one-way communication with the leader. After Einstein sets up your identity, I'll give you a code and a special communication method. Using that, you can contact me anytime, anywhere through Anti-Entropy's subordinate organizations."
"That's good."
Lynelle glanced out the window. The scenery on both sides was rapidly receding. Clearly, while they were finalizing the details of their cooperation, the plane had drawn very close to its destination.
"After we land, Mr. Welt, please scout out the battlefield situation for me first. I'll give you further instructions then. Also, please don't disturb me for the next three minutes. I need to make some… pre-battle preparations."
With that, Lynelle closed her eyes and sank her consciousness into her system.
'Kiana-chan, let's roll!'
--+--
While Lynelle was rushing to the battlefield, the fight in Siberia had already begun an hour prior.
Among the four pseudo-Herrschers, the Herrscher of Death had been dealt with directly by Otto.
The remaining three were being held off separately by members of the Snowwolf Squad and Siegfried.
Meanwhile, Cecilia was facing Benares—compared to the other matchups, the disparity in power here was significant, but this was also part of Otto's design.
Before deploying, Otto had deliberately leaked information about Sirin to Cecilia through other channels.
He knew perfectly well that if there was a possibility of persuading the Second Herrscher, Cecilia would absolutely not go for the kill.
So, he exploited her compassion by assigning her a task guaranteed to delay her the most.
If Cecilia swiftly slew Benares, it would undoubtedly shatter any chance of her establishing a relationship with Sirin, forcing her to face a fully powered Sirin in the ensuing confrontation.
If, however, Cecilia fought with the intent of merely incapacitating Benares, it played right into Otto's hands.
Although Benares's strength was considerably less than Cecilia's, its physiology as a Judgement-class Honkai Beast was a fact. Making a Judgement-class beast collapse from exhaustion or lose the ability to fight without sustaining fatal injuries was something not even Cecilia could achieve quickly.
And this would buy Otto the time to confront Sirin directly—he had already made contact with the Pseudo-Herrscher representing Death and confirmed that within all the Pseudo-Herrschers, there were only pseudo-cores made from a fragment of Sirin's authority and concentrated Honkai energy.
This meant the core of the Herrscher of Death was still inside Sirin.
Simultaneously, as a precaution, Otto wasn't facing Sirin alone. He also had…
"Thank you, my old friend."
Seeing Sirin already subdued by the Immortal Hua, Otto stepped forward, the excitement in his eyes barely concealed.
"Whatever you intend to do, be quick."
Fu Hua's words were brief. "The authority of five cores gathered in one being has far exceeded our predictions. I fear I cannot hold her for long."
"Don't worry, old friend."
An identical golden feather appeared in Otto's hand. "This will be over soon."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.